


Contingency

by thatonewriterchick



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Complete, Destiny, Mention of polyamory, Multi, Previous Relationship, Vanguard - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 10:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13522509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonewriterchick/pseuds/thatonewriterchick
Summary: As the Vanguard settles into the new(ish) Tower, it's time to sit down and come up with a plan in case something happens to them.





	Contingency

**Author's Note:**

> I think that after the "close call" in the campaign, this is a conversation they really should have.

It was the first time the Vanguard had assembled for official business since Ghaul's defeat. So it felt right to be under the Traveler, alive for the first time, despite being in the shadows of the ruined Tower.

Cayde could feel the Light outside, beneath its broken shell, better than he did in the hanger. It felt like sunshine blooming in his chest, spreading warmth through his frame. It felt like the moment he used his Light to ignite his hand cannon in flames to incinerate his enemies.

He hadn't felt as powerful a surge of warmth since he'd first been reborn, with the blue sky above him and a one eyed robot gazing down at him. Days, weeks, months and years had dimmed the memory and feeling, but standing beneath the Traveler brought it all back.

Joining up with his fireteam brought him back, but in a less...fun way. It reminded him of what he'd become, of what he had lost.

Which was why they were all there, after all. Nothing lit a fire under the rear like experiencing mortality for the first time.

Ikora and Zavala were already waiting, staring out over the City, their backs to him.

"Glad you could make it, Cayde," Ikora greeted without turning. "I was beginning to think we would have to fetch you."

"Just had to see a hunter about a knife," he explained evasively, coming to stand between them. "So, we ready to get this show on the road?"

The look Zavala gave him said he and Ikora had been ready long before he showed up. "We have discussed mentorships in the past. But we need to have someone ready and groomed to take our place, should we..." He frowned, trying to find the right word.

"Bite the dust? Keel over?" Cayde supplied.

"Indeed," Zavala agreed, though he still sounded a bit uncertain. "This new Vanguard should be capable of working together effectively - to be seen as a single, cohesive unit." He looked out over the City again, grip tightening around the guard rail.

"It would be best to have at least three candidates to consider," Ikora added, clasping her hands behind her back. "There's always the chance someone might decline."

Cayde snorted. "Now why would anyone do that? All the perks? The...the..." He gestured uselessly for a moment, trailing off. Sure, after the attack, he'd had an appreciation for the Tower. But he couldn't deny the joys of freedom and being in the thick of things, finger on the trigger, the Light flaring inside of him. How could he remember that and take it from one of his hunters?

"I believe Pyre-9 a good choice," Ikora began. "He is a very reliable and level headed warlock and has mentored many guardians who have gone on to be successful in their own right. He has the potential for Commander."

"Aren't you all level headed and reliable?" Cayde wondered, half under his breath. When she raised an amused brow at him, he continued. "Obviously the Red War hero, Jude Harrison is on the list; we wouldn't be here without him." He paused, looking upward in thought. "Not Commander, though. He likes taking orders too much to be a leader."

Zavala's brow dipped a little. "Then perhaps I should withdraw Nere Zakos. She was one of the six slayers of Oryx. A good soldier with an even better record."

"Then why pull her? Sounds like we take this set, put Pyre in charge and call it a day." Cayde leaned forward, resting his weight on the railing.

The Commander cleared his throat. "Your hunter and my titan are rumored to be... romantically involved, should intel be correct."

None of them bothered to doubt their many sources on such a matter. Each had eyes all over the City and had tripled the amount after reclaiming their home.

But Cayde barked a laugh, standing straight to glance at his fireteam. "As if they would be the first Vanguard to bump uglies. Am I right?"

Zavala cleared his throat as he stared out toward the City, the shadows of a setting sun almost hiding the faintest of blushes on his cheeks.

On the other side of Cayde, Ikora's expression had slipped into an unreadable mask that after decades of knowing her spoke volumes to the exo.

"Okay, apparently forty-seven years is still too soon," Cayde announced with a clap of his hands. "So how about this: we offer them the positions but tell them not to get horizontal on the clock. Fair?"

"There's still the chance one of them may not want the responsibility," Ikora reminded him. "You of all people should anticipate that."

"Me?" Cayde scoffed. "Like you weren't the least bit excited to get your hands dirty again, warlock?"

She rewarded him with the tiniest of smiles, the one she used to wear in the Crucible. The stunning one full of confidence and promise that was sensual as it was violent.

It had the same effect now as it did then, making Cayde rock back on his heels and swallow needlessly. Zavala had to clear his throat twice, though he didn't speak for a moment.

"We should take other candidates into consideration as well. After choosing the final three, we can make our first choices a priority," Zavala announced finally, voice a little deeper than usual. "Perhaps next time, we should invite Shaxx; I know he is quite fond of your hunter, Cayde. If Jude does not make Vanguard, there may be a place for him over the Crucible."

Recovering from a tension between them he hadn't felt in forty-seven years, two months and nine days, Cayde groaned as if in pain. "If there's a meeting with Shaxx, feel free not to invite me; I'm sure I'll still hear him from the hanger."

The sharp exhale from his nose was the closest Zavala got to laughing during times they were supposed to be professional, so the hunter still felt pretty good about it. "Cayde," he said, tone mild with warning.

"Fine, fine," the exo conceded. "I'll stand at the top of the stairs. Wouldn't want to hurt ole Broken Horn's feelings." He looked between his teammates. "So...we good? Cuz I'm good." He stepped away from them. "This has been fun, really! And only a little awkward." When he strolled away, neither of them stopped him.

And then there were two.

"Do you think he's right?" Zavala asked, frowning after the hunter in question.

"About which part?" Ikora asked with a knowing smirk.

Zavala frowned, refusing to let himself be taken off guard again. "Nere and Jude. Both are capable, but we cannot afford to let them prioritize their relationship over the good of all."

"We also can't make their mistakes for them. It's possible they won't make the ones we anticipate at all." Ikora squinted against the fading sun's glare. "Perhaps...they will succeed where we have failed. After all..." She turned to him. "We are talking about a god slayer and one who the Traveler has given Light not once, but twice. I would say they are more than capable of exceeding expectations."

Zavala was still frowning, perplexed. "Yes," he said, distracted.

"I'll be taking my leave now," Ikora announced. "I believe we've spent enough of the evening pondering possibilities." With a nod, she turned and sauntered away.

And then there was one.

The Commander sighed as he turned back to the City where it was lighting up beneath the ethereal glow of the Traveler. As the sun sank lower, bathing the City in stretching shadows, he was no longer thinking of what ifs of the future, but those of the past.


End file.
